![Jeff Paffen, daughter Dr Stella McWiggan, son Dr Paul Paffen, and wife Monica Paffen. Pictures by James Parker Jeff Paffen, daughter Dr Stella McWiggan, son Dr Paul Paffen, and wife Monica Paffen. Pictures by James Parker](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/205490442/85aa5e75-1e5d-41cd-9d1d-07287f43734a.jpg/r0_0_4032_3024_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A lot has happened in the past 100 years, and Jeff Paffen's love for life has carried him through it all, the Merimbula resident celebrating his milestone birthday over the weekend.
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"I can't complain, I just have to lap it up," Jeff said with a smile. "I hope you have a good day, I'm enjoying mine."
Jeff sat at the end of a very long table, a banquet of meals covered it, while locally picked native flowers added splashes of colour to the centrepieces.
!["I never doubted Dad would reach his 'century.' His love for life, purity of soul, and sheer determination has carried his spirit throughout life's challenges," Stella said. "I never doubted Dad would reach his 'century.' His love for life, purity of soul, and sheer determination has carried his spirit throughout life's challenges," Stella said.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/205490442/05d76c05-ff7d-42e9-adfa-87f76bfc38bf.jpg/r0_72_4032_2635_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Jeff's son Dr Paul Paffen stood up, an array of printed speech notes in his hand. He found a spot alongside his father at the head of the table.
Paul would be momentarily caught by emotion as he reflected on the memories made alongside his father; the stories he heard on fishing trips in the back of a bronze Valiant station wagon in the 1960s, leaning in to hear g-rated war stories, his dad's singing, all before collecting the prize, a Drumstick ice-cream in Stratford.
"I'd like to share with you some background to this amazing man whom I admire so much, because you will see, revealed in his certain deeds across a lifetime, patterns that have forged a man of character," Paul said.
"Always positive, fearless, a man of strong convictions, integrity, a man of honesty, commitment, a man with a great sense of duty, a man of faith, love, passion, humour. All the many tags relevant to Dad that easily spring to mind are too numerous to articulate."
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Johan Jozef, known in Holland as Sef and Shaaf - which became Jeff - was born May 12, 1923, to Johannes Henricus Paffen and Fransisca Celeen. Johannes was a blacksmith, who worked at an anvil making train carriage couplings for the Dutch railways.
During WWII, Jeff became an active member of the Dutch Resistance, where he'd stuff underground newspaper leaflets into his trouser legs and socks, hiding them from prying Nazis while travelling by tram, and distributing when safe to counterbalance German-controlled media and propaganda.
![In the 1960s, when Traralgon Municipal Bandmaster fell off the stage drunk, brass bandman Jeff took over serving for 20 years. His baton still sits in his room. In the 1960s, when Traralgon Municipal Bandmaster fell off the stage drunk, brass bandman Jeff took over serving for 20 years. His baton still sits in his room.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/205490442/d91492d2-62cf-4f86-a160-af861d33e2d3.jpg/r0_0_4032_3024_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
While employed at a coal mine, taken by occupying Germans, Jeff performed acts of sabotage going from "one who fixed instruments" to "ensuring they didn't work or couldn't be repaired".
After the war, Jeff met the sister of his naval comrade, Monica, now his wife of 71 years. They emigrated to Australia in 1954, landing in Port Melbourne, took a train to Gippsland, and Jeff secured a role at Australian Paper Manufacturers.
Within a year of arriving in Australia, Jeff and Monica would take the six hour trips to Merimbula, setting up their tent in Short Point.
Enchanted by Merimbula, The Paffens moved into Bimbimbie Park in the '80s.
The rest is history.
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